For persons in the D-HOH-SI community, standard audio phone conversations may be difficult or impossible. The D-HOH-SI community typically relies instead on a video relay service (VRS) for phone communications. VRS is a video telecommunication service that allows D-HOH-SI individuals to communicate over video telephones and similar technologies with hearing people in real-time, via a sign language interpreter (SLI), wherein both the user and the SLI sit in front of VRS clients connected to the internet. Embodiments of the present invention may operate with VRS or other types of visual phone communications systems and methods employed by D-HOH-SI individuals to facilitate communications between two or more D-HOH-SI individuals, and between D-HOH-SI individuals and with hearing individuals (using SLIs).
Recent technical advances have led to the growth in the use of VRS by D-HOH-SI persons. Using VRS equipment, D-HOH-SI persons can place video calls to communicate between themselves and with other individuals (either hearing or D-HOH-SI) using sign language. VRS equipment enables D-HOH-SI persons to talk to hearing individuals via an SLI, who uses a conventional telephone at the same time to communicate with the party or parties with whom the D-HOH-SI person wants to communicate.
FIG. 1 is an example 100 of a commercially-available remote control device, showing front 102 and back 104 sides. The front side 102 comprises various buttons for dictating specific commands to a system which enables communication with other users and interpreters, while the backside 104 comprises a QWERTY keyboard with small keys (the keys are necessarily small to minimize the overall dimensions of the remote control). Use of these remote controls may be cumbersome for a number of reasons:                1) The remote control is small and may easily be misplaced or lost, rendering the entire VRS system unusable. In emergency situations, requiring an immediate “911” call on the VRS system, misplacement of the remote control could have serious safety and/or health implications.        2) Multiple steps are required to make a call using a remote control,        3) Typing of QWERTY letters on the small backside keypad (see view 104 in FIG. 1) can be a nuisance and cause numerous spelling errors requiring backing up and correction, thus making the typing process slow,        4) Only a specific pre-programmed set of commands can be executed by the remote (based on the hardware keys)—there is no way to add new commands,        5) Either batteries or a wired power source are required.        
It would be advantageous to provide a method for controlling and using a VRS system that would avoid these difficulties encountered with the use of a separate remote control for VRS communications. This may include VRS calls to other D-HOH-SI individuals or hearing individuals who know ASL (where both parties to the call utilize ASL) as well as calls to hearing individuals who do not know ASL (where in intermediate SLI is utilized).
It would be an additional advantage to configure a VRS client to execute this method for controlling and using a VRS system without the need for a separate remote control.
It would be a further advantage to be able to initiate and control VRS calls by selection of various menu items without the need for a remote control.